Book Haul, End of August

I had a free day from work, it was terribly hot outside, and The Bean had several overdue books. (and so did I, actually) So we loaded up our bags and went out to the local library!

My picks for this round:

The sun is down, so please excuse my indoor lighting and weird carpet

The Truth of All Things by Kieran Shields

I picked this up COMPLETELY randomly from the shelf in the mystery section. It's about murder and witches, from what the inside flap says. I try not to read the inside flaps or the back covers too closely, as they are sometimes written by people who haven't properly read the book, or who don't understand the concept of SPOILERS.

The Gluten-free Table by Jilly Lagasse and Jessie Lagasse Swanson, and

The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook by Cybele Pascal

More and more these days, people are talking about giving up various things, either because of allergies or just for the general improvement of their feelings & health.

I am not one of those people. I believe in eggs and butter and creamy cheeses. I'm not sure where I fall on gluten, but as it has yet to make me sick, I haven't given it up. However. I know a lot of people who are limited in their diets, for whatever reason.

Recently I was having tea & juice with my extremely celiac friend Lovely Alice, who told me that she had finally given up on settling for the limited options she had out in the world of pre-made food, and instead had learned how to cook. She showed me her lunch, in a little box in her bag. It looked incredibly delicious, and more importantly, wasn't going to kill her. 

Later, I chatted with another friend about starting an allergen / vegan friendly bakery. She told me to bake something 1000 times until I had it perfect in my own way. This is, of course, good advice for any undertaking, but even better when you get to eat your results.

At any rate, it's time to learn a few new skills in the kitchen...

Women's Wicked Wit by Michelle Lovric 

Anthologies are fun, snarky anthologies are the best!

The Friendly Jane Austen by Natalie Tyler

This is a lovely book that reads somewhere between an older encyclopedia, a chatty magazine article, and the back of a Penguin edition novel. It explains in both concise sections and longer essays the various aspects and meanings behind Jane Austen's life & works. 

Borkmann's Point by Håkan Nesser

I wrote a while ago about Jo Nesbø's The Leopard and The Snowman as being creepy Scandinavian murder mysteries. Here comes a story from Sweden. I think I may have found my new favorite genre. 

I started reading Factory Girls by Leslie T. Chang so quickly that it wasn't in my book bag when I went to take the initial haul photo. Chang tracks the stories of several factory girls in China. It's something I know nothing about, and it's fascinating.